Water and paint

Learning landscapes is all about shadow and light, no matter what medium you’re working in. As a kid, I favored acrylics, but now I’m learning about watercolors. Watercolors are outside my comfort zone, but they are fun and I am really enjoying playing with them.

I tend to get bogged down in details, at the same time that I get bored or frustrated with them. Watercolors are forcing me to focus on shadow and light, what is really there vs what I think I see. Watercolors are also forcing me to let go a bit, and let the picture tell its own story.

I have already taught my mind to back off and let the story tell itself (especially when revising, you probably need to spell out much less than you think you do when you’re trying to nail a scene down in your head). Now I’m learning to apply that to art.